Bioenergy: Related Links

Overview Background Bioenergy Market Analysis Research Findings Recommended Readings Recommended Data Glossary Related Links

Data and information about markets for bioenergy and other renewable energy sources are available from a variety of U.S. and international organizations.  Readers should be aware that due to different methods of calculation (e.g., levels of aggregation) and different origins, these sources of data will not always be consistent with one another.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

USDA Renewable Energy—News and information about USDA's renewable energy activities.

National Institute for Food and Agriculture, Small Business Innovation Research: Biofuels and Biobased Products.This grant program’s objective is to promote the use of biofuels and non-food biobased products by developing new or improved technologies that will lead to increased production of industrial products from agricultural materials.

USDA Energy Matrix is a navigational aid to identify USDA's energy-related programs that extend across the many USDA agencies and mission areas.

Office of Energy Policy and New Uses—USDA office responsible for developing and coordinating Departmental energy policy, programs, and strategies.

• Reports/Papers on Renewable Energy—USDA reports and papers covering corn ethanol, biomass, bioenergy, and biodiesel.

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)—FAS works to improve foreign market access for U.S. products, build new markets, and improve the competitive position of U.S. agriculture in the global marketplace.

• Biofuels Analysis—Data, country-specific reports, and links related to biofuels.
• Agricultural Attaché Reports—Reports include background information as well as data. Website is searchable by commodity, country, and year. Corn is found under "Grain and Feed."
• EU-27 Biofuels Annual examines targets set by the EU for biofuel consumption

Agricultural Research Service National Bioenergy and Energy Alternatives Program, provides assistance to overcome technical and commercial barriers associated with bioenergy production

National Agricultural Library

• Bioenergy and Biofuels—List of many government programs and efforts relating to bioenergy and biofuels.
• National Agricultural Library Digital Repository (NALDR)—Online browsing of historical ERS Agricultural Economic Reports and Agriculture Information Bulletins, including those on ethanol.

Business and Cooperative Programs—Programs to promote a dynamic business environment in rural America.

• Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvements Program—USDA program that funds grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small business to assist them in purchasing renewable-energy systems and making energy-efficiency improvements.

Natural Resources Conservation Service, Energy Consumption Awareness Tools—Four online energy estimators (animal housing, irrigation, nitrogen, and tillage) to assist farmers, ranchers, and agricultural suppliers in identifying areas for energy reductions and potential cost savings.

Data from other U.S. Agencies or Departments

Biofuel itself is treated as a non-farm product, and data collection for its supply, production, and distribution is conducted by several U.S. Agencies and Departments.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

• Bioenergy—DOE's introduction to bioenergy information.

Energy Information Administration—Official energy statistics from DOE; provides historical energy data, forecasts and analyses, and long-term energy outlook.

• Ethanol. Information, data, and analysis related to ethanol.
• Monthly Oxygenate Report. U.S. production and inventories of ethanol and MTBE. Historical monthly reports dating back to 1998 are also available.


• Renewable and Alternative Fuels Basics—Renewable energy and alternative fuels data and other links.
• Short-Term Energy Outlook—Monthly projections for U.S. domestic petroleum, natural gas, electricity, and coal supply, demand, and prices.
• Long-Term Energy Outlook—Annual projections and analysis of U.S. energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030.
• Annual Energy Review. Historical annual energy statistics. Section 10 is Renewable Energy. The 'Fuel Ethanol and Biodiesel Overview' is Section 10.3.
• Petroleum Navigator, Oxygenate Production. Annual and monthly data for production of fuel ethanol and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) for the United States and five regions. Historical data available back to 1992.
• Forecasts and Analyses. Analyses and projections of energy information, renewable energy, and energy feedstock forecasts.
• Annual Energy Outlook. Long-term projections of renewable energy consumption (including ethanol) by sector.

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy—Office responsible for renewable energy research and technology development.

• USDOE Biomass Program—DOE effort to develop technologies for converting biomass (plant-derived materials) to fuels and chemicals.

o Ethanol
o Biodiesel
o USDOE Biofuels Initiative (cellulosic ethanol)

• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)—Primary DOE laboratory responsible for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development.
  o NREL Biomass Research
  o Biomass Resource Information
  o National Bioenergy Center

  Publications on Biomass—DOE reports and papers covering corn ethanol, biomass, bioenergy, and biodiesel.

  DOE Information Resources on Biomass—Extensive collection of links on biomass from Federal, State, academic, international, and nonprofit organizations.

USDA and DOE Partnership on Energy

Biomass Research and Development Initiative was created by Congress in the Biomass Research and Development Act to establish greater cooperation between Federal agencies in biomass research and development.

Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy—Partnership between USDA and DOE to advance research on renewable energy.

U.S. Department of Transportation

Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics. Quarterly statistics on the U.S. transportation system.

• Data on ethanol and biodiesel are available in Chapter 4 (Transportation, Energy, and the Environment), Section B (Transportation Energy Consumption by Mode), Table 4-10 - Estimated Consumption of Alternative and Replacement Fuels for Highway Vehicles

U.S. Department of Commerce

U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract, Energy and Utilities. Includes a variety of data on conventional and renewable energy.

The International Trade Administration, Energy Industries Team helps analyze and improve global trade and economic competitiveness of U.S. energy technology firms.

•  The 2010 Energy Industry Assessment highlights the U.S. and international energy industry, with a focus on global competitiveness, U.S. energy supply and demand, domestic environment, regulatory issues, non-regulatory issues, and the international trading environment. The specific energy sectors profiled in the document include oil, gas, coal, nuclear, biofuels, electricity transmission and distribution, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.

Federal Reserve

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Regional Affairs—Division responsible for the Bank's regional research efforts.

• Can Ethanol Power the Rural Economy?

Trade data and international organizations

USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), U.S. Trade Internet System. Searchable database that provides monthly or annual import and export data for ethyl alcohol for nonbeverage purposes by country.

DOE, Energy Information Administration International Energy Data and Analysis—Data, reports, and forecasts on petroleum, natural gas, electricity and coal markets.

DOE, EIA, Petroleum Publications, Company-Level Imports. Data on petroleum products, including ethanol, imported by companies into the United States.

U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb. International trade data for 1989-present on a monthly, quarterly, annual, or year-to-date basis.

United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization

• FAOSTAT—Production and trade data for corn and soybeans.
• Newsroom—Topical analyses.
 

World Bank—World Development Reports include research on the impacts of biofuels.

International Energy Agency, Statistics, Renewables. Aggregate renewable energy production and consumption statistics by country. Specify the country or region of interest in the pull-down menus. Aggregated data are reported for 'primary solid biomass' and 'liquid biofuels,' among other categories.

European Commission, Eurostat, Energy Statistics. Annual data on energy quantities, prices and indicators for crude oil, oil products, natural gas, electricity, solid fuels and renewables covering the full spectrum of the energy balance positions from supply through transformation to final energy consumption by sector and fuel type.

University and commercial sources of market information

Agricultural Marketing Resource Center—Partially funded by USDA Rural Development, a university-sponsored site that offers fact sheets, economic analysis, and other educational materials on renewable energy, such as ethanol, biodiesel, and biofuel feedstocks.

Sun Grant BioWeb. The Sun Grant Initiative is a federally funded initiative among universities and Federal laboratories to coordinate research efforts related to a ‘biobased economy.’ The initiative is comprised of representatives from five Regional Centers, including many universities. Click on the regional center of interest to learn more about participating institutions and the data they offer.

CME Group Energy Products. Current and historical ethanol prices, as well as the Ethanol Outlook Report, which contains information regarding ethanol trading.

Renewable Fuels Association. Information on U.S. and global ethanol production, U.S. ethanol capacity, plant locations, and other indicators.

National Biodiesel Board. Articles and reports on biodiesel-related topics, including estimates of U.S. biodiesel operating capacity and use.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE)—Funded by DOE and hosted by North Carolina State University, a comprehensive source of information on State, local, utility, and Federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in the United States.

University of Arkansas, National Agricultural Law Center—The Center's collection of Congressional Research Service reports contains a section on Energy.